CRIA Falling Apart? 242
An anonymous reader writes "Apparently, the CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association) has been falling apart recently. The biggest blow occurred when 6 major Canadian independent labels quit which was followed by some problems with the Copyright Board. Of course, this is all happening after the whole Sam Bulte incident. The article explains what happened with plenty of links for specific information."
Same shit different pile (Score:3, Informative)
Progress against any of them is progress against all of them. With any luck, a sufficient defeat in Canada will allow Canada to get a foothold in the world music industry for the near future as the old guard is defeated in a long series of battles.
Re:Same shit different pile (Score:5, Informative)
Will you take them seriously now that you know IFPI stands for "International Federation of the Phonograph Industry"? It's an appropriately anachronistic name for an organisation determined to block progress in music distribution.
Re:Some artists just want to be heard... (Score:1, Informative)
Thank you for bringing up this example. For those unaware of his life, Mozart spend most of it trying to make enough money to cover his debts. He composed enormous amounts of music, much of which survives and is regularly performed today, in order to make money. If he had not been able to sell music (sheet music, rather than recordings, in his case) then he would not have made it - his father wanted him to do something more profitable with his life, and without the ability to become financially independent selling music he would have done so.
Re:On behalf of Canadian Musicians... (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.lpco.ca/sambulte/about.aspx [www.lpco.ca]
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/index.php?option=com_c
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/23/hollywoods_m
she is a former MP for the liberals who got lots of funding from the hollywood, and was in favour of stronger copy right.
she lost her bid for re-election.
Re:Not to worry, true believers! They'll be back (Score:5, Informative)
Trust me, there really is some good in this world. Nettwerk has been one of the most critical labels of heavy-handed legal tactics. They're funding some RIAA defences, they were one of the first to leave the CIRA, and they aren't just a stable of artists that no one has heard of; Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies, Avril Lavigne.
And they sell mp3s on their site. Not WMAs, not ACCs -- *mp3s*, no DRM.
I'm a cynical bastard, too, but there's actually a few labels out there that get it. Don't sell them short.
Re:Some artists just want to be heard... (Score:3, Informative)
Take if from me (I own an Indie label).
If you want to make a living from just CD sales and not bothering to make T-shirts and go on tours like most musicians... Well... You are horribly mistaken.
We make more money on T-shirts and without going to shows we'd never sell any CDs.
Parent is mistaken (Score:5, Informative)
Copyright, as the money-making machine it is today, did not exist in Mozart's time (at least not in Europe-- the modern conception of copyright stems from UK law). Copyright may have existed informally, but unless I'm mistaken, it was not a part of law. Despite that Mozart make quite a good living from his music. Additionally, it was quite common-- and acceptable-- to compose "variations" on another composer's work. This practice is briefly mentioned in the quasi-fictional movie, Amadeus. But derivative works, though still technically permissible, are not often undertaken due to a threat of lawsuit and, from what I gather, not smiled upon by courts.
But using Mozart's case to support an argument about modern times is pointless anyhow-- in the 18th century, you're talking about sheet music and a vast underclass that has little interest in copying it. Today, we have a huge population with disposible incomes and high-quality recordings that can be distributed at virtually no cost. The dynamics are quite different.